Expats increasingly looking for opportunities in India: AESC Survey

Executives consider India to be a fertile ground for growth opportunities, a survey by Association of Executive Search Consultants revealed.

NEW DELHI: An increasing number of expats are choosing India as their preferred destination for work with the domestic economy growing at a steady pace, according to a survey by Association of Executive Search Consultants, a global association for retained executive search and leadership consulting firms.

Executives consider India to be a fertile ground for growth opportunities, the survey revealed.

The respondents in the survey included senior executives working across varied industries including retail, real estate, oil and gas, technology and the government sector. 59% of the surveyed executives noticed a growing change in the Indian workforce, with workers coming from diverse nationalities.

The increasing salary levels in India, especially for top ranking positions, were highlighted as an important factor fuelling this recent trend. The study also found that working in India helped 30% of the surveyed employees in terms of savings. Though a majority of those surveyed (76%) said that their company did not have policies to help them save, indicating that personal savings were self-driven and voluntary.

"As a fast-growing economy, India is currently attracting talent and skills from across the world. Our survey showed that executives are seeing a greater number of expats seeking to be part of the Indian workforce to not only gain first-hand experience in a global economy, but also be a part of the dynamic India growth story," said Peter Felix, president, AESC in a statement.

At least 57% of the surveyed respondents were also actively looking to change their jobs and were keen on pursuing fresh opportunities within India. Lack of career progression opportunities, poor company culture and dissatisfaction with senior management were some of the main reasons that would make executives leave their jobs. But 88% of the respondents felt that the maximum number of jobs they could change in a span of ten years should not be more than three.